


you left me in the lost and found

by sam (codexumbra)



Category: Hotline Miami (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-27 04:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18296441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codexumbra/pseuds/sam
Summary: 2 middle aged men have a conversation in a car.





	you left me in the lost and found

**Author's Note:**

> also? yeah i know sharon isnt canonically this bad or whatever, like shes a good mom, but i like writing characters crying lol

The air in the car hadn't felt this stiff and uncomfortable in years.

Of course, it was hard to make an awkward car ride feel normal when you break news like that to someone. The blond that drove the car had one of his hands tightly held to the wheel while the brunet in the passenger seat kept his eyes on the world that showed through the water trickled glass of the windshield. The sting of almost-tears in his eyes felt familiar, as did the thick bob in his throat. They hadn't said a word to each other, but the radio wasn't loud. It wasn't playing anything fun; what it was playing was humdrum and uninteresting. Evan couldn't even stay focused on it as a way of distracting himself from what he had caused. When he saw Manny's hand move toward the radio dial to turn up the crap that was playing, his hand darted to his. Not to hold his hand; it would be unacceptable, but to keep him from turning it up. Manny's hand stayed still, then fell back onto the stick shift. "Alright."

"I'm sorry, Manny. _Please_ just talk to me, I-"  
  
"What am I supposed to say? Congratulations?" He's silent. Then he speaks again as Evan turns his head to look out the window. He tries to pay attention to the trees to keep himself from crying. "I don't understand, Evan. I don't understand. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that if you truly wanted to leave someone you'd get married to them." Evan turns his head to look at him, but Manny does not. His eyes are glued to the road aside from a glance he shoots his passenger. "Well? Am I wrong?"

The smaller man swallows. "No, you're not, b-" "Then why did you?" The blond glared at him again and Evan's shoulders shivered. Half anxiety and regret, the other reason being how cold the car was. "I made a mistake. I made a mistake because I felt pressure and I want to take it back, but-" he presses his hand to his mouth, and he feels the tear move down his cheek. "it's too late." 

The blond is dead silent. Evan hears him breathe through his nostrils and sees him swallow hard. "Is it really too late or are you just too scared to do anything?" He readjusts his grip on the wheel as Evan moves his head to look up at him, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "What do you even _mean_ Manny? I can't just..TELL her I'm not going to marry her, that I take it back." Evan reaches his hands out to grab onto Manny's steady forearm. "She was starting to think something was happening between us, Manny. She started to figure it out. I d...I didn't want her to berate you or try to keep us apart or ANYTHING so I.." he falls into silence. "I thought..the best way to convince her that I wasn't seeing you was by proposing. I can't risk anything like that happening again." Evan shook his head and before he can speak again, the driver did. "Get your hands off of my forearm, then."

The brunet looked at him. "What?"

"Get your hands off of my forearm, Evan. You told me time and time again that you were unhappy and unfulfilled and that you wanted nothing more than to leave her. That you didn't care for her." He's silent. "And now, suddenly, you two are getting _married?_ How does that make sense? I offered you escape so many times, Evan. How long have we been doing this? Two years? How can you throw two years of love out of the window because you-" "Stop it, Manny." 

"Don't tell me to stop it, Evan, I'm upset. I have every right to be upset. You _lied_ to me for years and expect me to fine with it? You expect for me to applaud your marriage when you lied to me for love and sex?" "I had to do it, Manny. I don't love her. I love _you_. I swear to God I do." His eyes started to burn again and he felt that Manny felt the same sting when his hand clamped on the stick shift. He kept talking. "I didn't want to. But if she found out? She'd keep me from you." His hands went back to the taller one's forearm. "You have to believe me. If you don't, there's no point to anything." 

The car was silent. 

Evan spoke. "M-"  
  
"Prove it, then."  
  
"..What? Prove what-"  
  
The driver's hand tightened around the wheel. "Prove that she isn't what you had in mind when you thought about who you'd be with in the future."  
  
Evan is silent. How are you supposed to prove something like that? Sharon is anxious to get married- they had been together for three years before Evan decided to pop the question to her. She's excited to be able to wear a ring on her finger and show said ring to her group of fellow lonely housewives with neglectful husbands. When he puts it like that, it sounds sad. But she was controlling- she didn't support his goals and aspirations. She didn't like Manny much, either, and Evan considered the two of them a package deal. Manny was his best friend since diapers; someone that he couldn't contently live without. The rendezvous in Manny's office and in dinky motels had started 2 years ago, but they became friends long before that. Evan thought about this. Then he looked up.   
  
"How?"  
  
Manny glanced over at him, then said a small "hold on" before pulling over. The street was lonely and quiet; it was late at night. When the detective had successfully pulled over to the side of the washed out road, he turned on the interior lights of the car. When the two men made eye contact with one another, everything was silent. Evan had taken his hands off his arm, so he twiddled his fingers awkwardly. Manny sighed.   
  
"This is going to be a lot."

Evan nodded. "I've been cheating on my fiance with you for 2 years, Manny. How bad can it be?"  
  
Manny nodded. Then he was silent, as if contemplating what he pulled the car over to say. Then he looked at Evan. His eyes were wonderful; an emerald green that the light hit just right. "We can run away together. Fuck off to Tampico or Tennessee or wher _ever_   the hell you want to go. Just come with me."  
  
Evan's blue eyes were gentle, but focused. How screwed up would it be to run away with your best friend when you had just recently proposed to your girlfriend of 3 years? How fucked would that be? She was so excited, too.. but Evan knew that she wasn't excited for *them*- she was excited that she would have a pretty, expensive rock on her finger. Would it still be bad? Oh, absolutely. Did Evan feel guilty?  
  
"Okay."  
  
Manny's eyes lit up. "Really?" He sat up in his seat, his hands still holding Evan's. "Seriously?"   
  
Evan nodded. He felt that surge of energy hit him- the one that he felt whenever they snuck out somewhere. "Yes! Seriously! I'm not gonna-" he swallows "-I'm not going to let this get past me. I love you. I'm sorry this even _happened_ , I hope that you knew that if I felt I didn't have to I wouldn't have." the writer clenches his hands around Manny's. The detective stares at him a little bit longer before narrowing his eyes and saying something under his breath Then he lets go of Evan's hands and moves them back to the steering wheel. He stares out of the windshield for a second before turning to Evan, putting his hands on the brunet's cheeks and pressing his lips to his.   
  
Then he goes back to the steering wheel and turns the car back on. "We'll grab shit from my apartment, then we'll blow this crap city." He looks at Evan, turning on the car. "Deal?"  
  
Evan regained himself from the kiss fast, smiling. "Deal."


End file.
